Business Research Analysis

Module I
Introduction to Business Research
 Topics to Discuss

• Introduction to Research Methodology

• What is business research?

• Importance of business research

• Issues and trends in business research

• Literature review

• Research Methodology
 Introduction
•Investigation using scientific procedures, by searching again and again to find out the truth.

•Research is the continual search for truth using the scientific method. It is the pursuit of the truth with the help of study,

investigation, observation, comparison and/or experimentation.

What makes people to undertake research?
•Desire to get a research degree along with its consequential benefits

•Desire to face the challenge in solving the unsolved problems. Ex. Concern over practical

problems initiates research.

•Desire to get intellectual joy of doing some creative work.

•Desire to be of service to society

•Desire to get respectability.

What it Takes?

• Creativity

• Open mind

• Curiosity

• Patience

• Persistence

• Positive Attitude

• Discipline and focus

 What is Research?
• Research is a scientific and systematic search for pertinent information on a specific topic.

• It is a careful investigation or enquiry specially through search for knowledge.

• It is a movement from known to unknown.

• Research is the careful consideration of study regarding a particular concern or problem using scientific

methods. According to the American sociologist Earl Robert Babbie, “research is a systematic inquiry

to describe, explain, predict, and control the observed phenomenon. It involves inductive and deductive

methods.”
Management Research
•Management Research is an unbiased, structured and
sequential method of enquiry, directed towards a clear
implicit or explicit business objective.

•This enquiry might lead to validating the existing

postulates or arriving at new theories and models.
Business Research
•A process of planning, acquiring, analyzing, and disseminating
relevant business data, information, and insight to decision makers in
ways that mobilize the organization to take appropriate action that,
in turn, maximize business performance.

•It is a systematic inquiry that provides information to guide

managerial decisions.
 Why Study Business Research?
1. Growth of Internet
2. Greater Computing Power
3. Business as a discipline
4. Complex Decisions
5. Government Intervention
6. Competition
7. Stakeholder Influence
8. New Research Perspectives
 Who Conducts Business Research?
Business Research Suppliers

External Research Business Research

Suppliers Firms
Full Specialist
Business Research Firms Service s

Communication Agencies Custom Methods

Syndicate
Consultants Proprietar
d
y
Data
Trade Associations
Other
 Full Service
•Full-service researchers include some of the largest research firms, and some of the smallest.
•These firms are often involved in research planning from the moment of discovery of a dilemma or from the definition
of a management question.
•Such firms often have expertise in both quantitative and qualitative methodologies, as well as multifaceted facilities.
•Some are capable of working in worldwide venues, while others are limited to one industry or geographic region.
•These firms are often a combination of research and consulting operations.
 Custom Researchers
•Often described with phrases like “ad hoc research” or “custom-designed research”
•A custom researcher crafts a research design unique to the decision maker’s dilemma. In other words, each
project starts from ground zero.
•What is implied is that such firms do not assume that a given methodology is appropriate for each client’s
research.
•Although a custom researcher may not always be a full-service research firm, a full-service researcher would
always fit into the custom research category.
 Proprietary Methodology Researchers
•A proprietary methodology is a research program or technique that is owned by a single firm.
•It may be a new method developed by the firm, or a twist on an established methodology.
•Firms often brand these methodologies to distinguish themselves from the competition. (ACNielsen did this with its
syndicated panel.)
•The Organization reinvented itself using the proprietary research model, moving from public opinion pollster and
custom researcher to research-based consulting firm.
 Specialty Business Research Firms

Methodology

Process

Industry

Participant group

Geographic Region
 Some Syndicated Data Providers
• AC Nielsen • DoubleClick
• Scarborough • Nielsen/NetRatings
• Millward Brown • Taylor Nelson Sofres
Intersearch
• Nielsen Media
Research • J.D. Power Associates
• Roper ASW • MediaMark
• CSA TMO • Simmon (SMRB)
• BRMB
• Yahoo!
• Information Resources
• ORC International Inc.
Communication Agencies
Sales Advertisin
Promotio g
n

Direct Public
Busines Relatio
s ns
 TOP 10 ADVERTISING COMPANIES AND AGENCIES IN INDIA
1.DDB Mudra Group
2.Dentsu Aegis Network
3.FCB Ulka Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
4.Group M Media India Pvt. Ltd.
5.Havas World Wide India Pvt. Ltd.
6.Madison Communication Pvt. Ltd.
7.McCann Erickson India Pvt. Ltd.
8.Mullen Lowe Lintas Group
9.Ogilvy & Mather Pvt. Ltd.
10.Publicis Communicaions India Ltd.
 Marketing Research Companies in India
• IMRB International
• TNS India pvt Ltd.
• RNB Research
• Majestic MRSS
• Market Xcel Data Matrix Pvt. Ltd.
• The Nielsen
Consultants and Trade Associations
Consultants
• Business
• General Business
Trade Associations
• General business
• Business specialties
• Research specialties
Limitations of Research
✔ Doesn’t provide actionable results
✔ Some problems just cannot be researched
✔ Only provide a set of guidelines
✔ Do not include research in the overall
problem or total decision making.
✔ Rely more on intuition and judgment
Literature Review
A literature review discusses published information
in a particular subject area, and sometimes
information in a particular subject area within a
certain time period.
Why LR is done?
1. To get idea about topic and research
2. To Know the limitations of earlier researches
3. To know the research gap
4. To add something new and to validate the
existing postulates
Cont…
RESEARCH PROCESS
Define research problem

Review of literature

Formulate Hypothesis

Preparing research design

Determining sample design

Collecting the data

Analyze the data

Interpretation

Report writing
1. Defining research problem:
A research problem can be defined as a gap or
uncertainty in the decision makers’ existing body of
knowledge which inhibits efficient decision making.
The gap could be academic & theoretical (basic) or
real time and action oriented (applied).

Management decision problem(Understanding the

problem thoroughly, rephrasing the same in to
meaningful terms from an analytical point of view.
Discussion with experts
Review of literature
Management research problem
 • Literature review:
Literature review is the comprehensive compilation of the
information obtained from both published and unpublished
sources of data which belong to the specific interest area of
the researcher.

This may include journals, newspapers, magazines,

reports, government publications etc.

1. Review the concepts and theory

2. Review previous research findings
3. To rectify the mistakes done by earlier researcher
4. To find research gap and to do something new in the
research
• Formulating hypothesis:
A hypotheses is any assumption/presupposition that
the researcher makes about the probable direction of
the results that might be obtained on the completion of
the research process
• Descriptive hypotheses: This is simply a statement
about the magnitude, trend, or behaviour of a
population under study.
• Relational hypotheses: These are the typical kind of
hypotheses which state the expected relationship
between two variables.
• Preparing research design:
• “ A research design is the blue print or detailed plan for
how a research study is to be completed—operationalising
the variables so they can be measured, selecting a sample
of interest to study, collecting the data to be used as a basis
for testing hypothesis, and analysing results.”

• Research design is the framework that has been created to

seek answers to research questions, research method is the
technique to collect the information required.
• Determining the sample design:

Sampling Concepts:
Population: Population refers to any group of people or
objects that form the subject of study in a particular survey
and are similar in one or more ways.
Element: An element comprises a single member of the
population.
Sampling frame: Sampling frame comprises all the elements
of a population with proper identification that is available to
us for selection at any stage of sampling.
Sample: It is a subset of the population. It comprises only
some elements of the population.
Sampling unit: A sampling unit is a single member of the
sample.
Sampling: It is a process of selecting an adequate number of
elements from the population so that the study of the sample
will not only help in understanding the characteristics of the
population but will also enable us to generalize the results.
Census (or complete enumeration): An examination of each
and every element of the population is called census or
complete enumeration.
 • Collecting the data:
1. Primary data: Primary data are those which are
collected for the first time. Data collected by the
investigator himself fro specific purpose. These
types of data need the application of statistical
methods for the purpose of analysis and
interpretation.
2. Secondary data: Secondary data are those which
have already been collected by someone and have
gone though the statistical analysis. It is collected
by party not related to the research study but
collected these data fro some other purpose and at
different time in the past.
• Execution of the project:
- The researcher should see that the project is executed in a
systematic manner and in time. If the survey is to be conducted
by means of structured questionnaires, data can be readily
machine-processed.
- Field visits to check interviewers work
- Dealing with non response respondents
• Analysis of data:
• Coding: Coding operation is usually done at this stage
through which the categories of data are transformed
into symbols that may be tabulated and counted.

• Tabulation: Tabulation is a part of the technical

procedure wherein the classified data are put in the
form of tables.
 • Generalization & interpretation:
• Report writing:
- Layout of the report:
1. Preliminary pages
2. Main text
3. End matter
- Report should be written in a concise and objective
style in simple language avoiding vague expressions
such as ‘it seems,’ ‘there may be’, and the like.
- Charts and illustrations in the main report should be
used only if they present the information more clearly
and forcibly.
Structuring/Components of the Research
❑ Tittle
Proposal
❑ Introduction

❑ The research question

❑ The literature review

❑ Theoretical framework

❑ Research methodology

❑ Limitations

❑ Conclusion

❑ References
Sample Proposed Budget
END OF CHAPTER